Trouble logging in?If you can't remember your password or are having trouble logging in, you will have to reset your password. If you have trouble resetting your password (for example, if you lost access to the original email address), please do not start posting with a new account, as this is against the forum rules. If you create a temporary account, please contact us right away via Forum Support, and send us any information you can about your original account, such as the account name and any email address that may have been associated with it.

I was wondering what series of Sailor Moon have been released in ADV's uncut boxsets, and if they are still readily available. Also, for those who own these... how is the quality? It's an older series so I'm not expecting perfection... but they are watchable, right? Mono or stereo sound?

I've been a fan of Sailormoon for more years than I care to admit. I had a long period of buying the official Japanese DVDs (though they were mostly the musicals and the live action series; I only ever got SuperS and Stars of the anime series). My fandom also extended to purchasing the official American DVDs (both dub and sub). But I've always felt that these DVDs were.....subpar at best. The audio and video quality were both well below that of the Japanese DVDs, and the subs...well, they could stand to be a bit better.

All of the American licenses for Sailormoon have lapsed and the American DVDs are no longer officially available (you can still find them for outrageous prices on eBay and Amazon, though). So, I was wondering: are there any fansub groups out there willing to put out better fansubs out, since the license has expired?

I know it's fairly unlikely, since most people couldn't care less about this classic series (it seems). But I think this series could stand a new release from a group that actually cares about it, and wants to see it in its nicest form.

There have been some groups releasing Sailor Stars lately, and they've been great. But what about the rest of the series? Just once in my life, I'd like to see the complete series released with accurate subtitles and good video and audio from people who are actually FANS of the series, instead of people who are just doing it because it's their job.

I was wondering what series of Sailor Moon have been released in ADV's uncut boxsets, and if they are still readily available. Also, for those who own these... how is the quality? It's an older series so I'm not expecting perfection... but they are watchable, right? Mono or stereo sound?

ADV released "uncut" box sets of the first two seasons. The quality is horrible. The video is dull and lifeless. The audio is mono, and really bad mono at that. The subtitles are not that great. But since no one cares about the American fans of Sailor Moon, that's the best you can expect.

There are fansubbers still around that care about Sailor Moon. (points to self) My only problem is that I've been superly busy with life the past year or two. I'm currently indulging in the delights of being an Exchange student in Japan so as you can imagine fansubbing does kinda take a bit of a back seat to leading the lifestyle that goes with ryuugaku'ing.

My Japanese is developing slowly but surely..I am able to translate shows when I have the full Japanese transcript available (think Trapp) and audio translation I guess is not that far away...

It's not a matter of not wanting to buy the licensed versions of Sailor Moon - Sailor Moon SuperS. It's not even a matter of affording them. This series is simply now next-to-impossible to find, let alone buy. It's not even like I go on ebay and find the show for five bajillion dollars because it's so rare. You can't even find it at all, except for Hong Kong bootlegs. No luck on Amazon, either.

Please, someone fansub this. Clearly, Toei is no longer interested in profiting from the (still surprisingly large) Sailor Moon fanbase in the west. I wanted to get the show when it was available, but I couldn't afford it at the time....

It's not a matter of not wanting to buy the licensed versions of Sailor Moon - Sailor Moon SuperS. It's not even a matter of affording them. This series is simply now next-to-impossible to find, let alone buy. It's not even like I go on ebay and find the show for five bajillion dollars because it's so rare. You can't even find it at all, except for Hong Kong bootlegs. No luck on Amazon, either.

Please, someone fansub this. Clearly, Toei is no longer interested in profiting from the (still surprisingly large) Sailor Moon fanbase in the west. I wanted to get the show when it was available, but I couldn't afford it at the time....

I'll love you forever if you do it!

Well, I know of at least one group subbing the show, (They've currently subbed the first 24 episodes) but because they also have tons of licensed anime there, I'm propably not allowed to give a link. And rips from the DVDs aren't accepted, even if ADV no longer holds the license, right? Funny, I thought it was rather easy to find the series online, yet all the places I've found it seems to be against the forum-rules somehow...

Also, why is this series still in the "Licensed"-subforum? Didn't ADV lose the rights like, 4 years ago?

omg i can't believe it's been four years already... anyway, i think i know the site that vegard_aune is talking about lol i got some of their subs of sailor moon and their fonts were just too wacky and colorful for me lol i prefer the normal-looking subs for sailor moon like they had back in the good-old days. anyway, that's why i had my fansubbing group take on the project. we are currently planning on doing the entire series (maybe not stars since fot&a-w did the entire season in high quality)

Well, I know of at least one group subbing the show, (They've currently subbed the first 24 episodes) but because they also have tons of licensed anime there, I'm propably not allowed to give a link. And rips from the DVDs aren't accepted, even if ADV no longer holds the license, right? Funny, I thought it was rather easy to find the series online, yet all the places I've found it seems to be against the forum-rules somehow...

Also, why is this series still in the "Licensed"-subforum? Didn't ADV lose the rights like, 4 years ago?

They technically didn't sub the show. I know witch group you're talking about because I used to frequent them when I was new to the anime torrent scene. The took the original subtitles of the dvd and made them pretty. I don't know why the person added those translator notes. They don't claim to be a fansub group either. I was really mad though when I saw at the top of the screen a sub titles explain all of what the nega-verse was I just thought "why?".

ADV released "uncut" box sets of the first two seasons. The quality is horrible. The video is dull and lifeless. The audio is mono, and really bad mono at that. The subtitles are not that great. But since no one cares about the American fans of Sailor Moon, that's the best you can expect.

All fingers point to Toei in regards to that. They were planing thier own boxsets for Sailor Moon at that point and, of course, to disuade would be money saving otaku in japan from saving money by reverse importing, they made ADV use DIC's masters which were fairly anchent by this point and lacking the "next episode previews" and such.

and any form of copying of copyrighted material is a no-no, regardless of purposes

Not true, so long as you keep the copies to yourself. You can (per fair use) copy the dvd to your hard drive, your pda, and play it in your dvd player. You can't put that copy up on a P2P service and expect not to get in trouble though.

I'm surprised no one pointed this out.

Actually, you can't, the DMCA affords that breaking the CSS encryption by ripping DVDs is illegal, even is just for yourself.

For anyone still interested in these first two seasons, I thought it would be good to bring to attention that in checking the tracker, SailorMoonCenter seems to have done batch torrents of both seasons these past 2 years...

I apologize but the URL seems to get cut off and I can't seem to make it post without transforming it into a hyperlink, so it would probably be easier for most people to go to the first 2 links for the torrent pages and doing 'copy url'. Or else, from here, you would do "copy URL" and then paste the text section which is the actual file name ([SMC]...) afterward. Do not actually click on the links because you will get an error, one has to construct the link.

Season 4 (SuperS) does not seem to have a thread (none is listed on the tracker anyway) so I'd suggest that much like we have this thread here to discuss season 1+2 that the above thread be used to discuss both 3 and 4 rather than create a separate one for 4.

Season 5 (Stars) is completed and it has its own thread here http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=4175 where more specific lists to the groups who have done it (one has 2 options rather than 1 in this case) if people need it. I don't see it as as big of a priority since a lot of people will probably be waiting until 3/4 before they move on to 5.

NOTICE
This review includes all seasons of the franchise. Reading this is like reading all the seasons.

ART SECTION: 6/10 [Bishoujos in Sailor Suits.]

The first thing to notice is how every season of Sailor Moon has a different prevailing color.
-The first season’s main color was black, depicted in several night scenes were the girls in the story are looking for romance and a way to answer the question for their reincarnation. The villains also adored the darkness and were living in a dark underground base.
-The second season’s main color was white, depicted in several scenes of Crystal Tokyo’s buildings and in the prevailing sparkling jewels and crystals found in the series. Every major building, spaceship and artifact was a sparkling crystal in this season.
-The third season’s main color was red, depicted in several scenes of Tokyo’s future destruction and in the villains’ experiments. Everything evilly created in this season is blood red.
-The fourth season’s main colors were yellow and pink, depicted in several scenes of Dreamland and the Dead Circus motifs.
-The fifth season’s main colors are yellow and light blue/azure, depicted in several scenes of crystals and visual effects.

The animation is old for today’s standards but still does the trick. There is nothing particularly bad with the graphics. The visual effects were bright and cheery, as they should be in a girly series.

A bad point is the repeating sequences of the transformations and the special attacks. Every episode recycles them to the point of becoming very annoying. We’re talking about 1/3rd of every episode being wasted on them. But all this posing and special attack fuss has become the trademark of the series. And it may brainwash you into actually liking them AND crave for them.

Another bad point is the lame-looking monsters-of-the-week. They are plain stupid to look at, fight really simple and get defeated really fast and always in the same way. But at least the animators learned from their mistakes and improved them in the following seasons. They look better and better with each season, plus have more interesting weaponry.

Another notice must be made about the Sailor uniforms in the final season. They are extravagant to the point of being considered a sexual fetish! All the new good and bad Sailor Warriors are dressed in so much leather and show enough cleavage to be mistaken for night queens, or something. And Sailor Moon’s new uniform is huge! How does she move in it?

There is a lot of “chan” and “san” going around in honorifics but that is part of the normal package.

The bad guys are talking too snobbish (Hohoho! Your pathetic powers are nothing before my beautiful face!) and the good guys too manihaistic (If you are a bad person, I will punish you in the name of the moon!) but you get to like it after a while.

A major twist is the ironic remarks everyone makes. There is a lot of self-mockery in their one-liners, so all those repeating phrases and transformations never become old as you expect a comeback phrase to laugh at.

Also, a notice is to be given for the main song (Moonlight Densetsu), which is amongst the best girly music I know of. There is a new intro song in the fifth season, which is as nice as the old one. If you add the rest of the songs in the lot, then you think you are watching a cheesy Broadway musical. It’s an overall nice work.

STORY SECTION: 7/10 [Once upon a time, there was a princess on the moon...]

Every season can easily be divided into story arks of 10 to 20 episodes. On each story ark, in the beginning you get a new goal and new characters entering the stage. Stand-alone episodes with a monster-of-the-week formula fill the in-between. And towards the end, the goal is usually accomplished and the basic villain changes. All following story arks follow the same pattern. It is a great way of dragging the story as far as the producers like. There are some serious episodes, followed by a loose plot that steadily escalates to major events. How can you hate it?

Season 1

Spoiler:

In the first story ark, the villains in the story want to gather life energy, in order to resurrect their demonic leader. The main heroine acquires her powers and is sent to find the other Sailor Warriors, while protecting the people from energy draining demons. A mysterious, handsome masked man always aids her without revealing his identity. Our heroine finds two other Sailor Warriors before the general of the villains is disposed because of incompetence.

In the second story ark, the second general of the villains continues to gather energy, this time from individuals with great potential. The story evolves as we learn of a crystal the villains are looking for and by revealing to us viewers who the masked man is. There is also a romance blooming between the bad guy and a common girl that easily makes this story ark amongst the most romantic and tragic of the whole series.

In the third story ark, the third general of the villains turns humans into demons, in order to find the pieces of the magic crystal. The story evolves as we learn of the characters’ past and present stories. The main backdrop scenario is revealed and all 5 Sailor Warriors unite. Secret identities are revealed and several mysteries are solved. There is also a gay romantic relationship between the bad guys that spices things up. This story ark is the most plot-driven and character developing in the whole series.

In the fourth story ark, the fourth general of the villains turns humans into demons, in order to lure the Sailor Warriors into revealing their real identities and kill them. The masked man is brainwashed to want to kill them as well. The story doesn’t evolve much here but there is a lot of character coloring that makes things worth watching.

In the fifth story ark (only two episodes), the queen of the villains begins her final step to rule the world in darkness. The Sailor Warriors assault her base and a bloody battle ensues. And when I say bloody, I mean DEAD BLOODY! There is a huge death toll in progress. The ending is amongst the most clichéd and yet best conclusions ever.

Season 2

Spoiler:

In the first story ark, we see all the main characters living a normal life without superpowers. A pair of young aliens arrives on Earth and uses Tarot monsters in order to steal life energy from humans and feed their tree that supports their lives. The Sailor Warriors are forced to leave behind their chance to live a normal life in order to protect the planet. This ark was essentially an excuse for the heroines to regain their lost powers. But the dramatic backdrop stories of the young aliens and the decision to stop being normal people was more than enough to turn this simple excuse of a sequel into a worthy new chapter in the series.

In the second story ark, a little girl pops out of nowhere, while being chased by super villains in a crystal spaceship. The Sailor Warriors protect this mysterious girl and gain new special attacks by accepting their positions, as the permanent princess’s bodyguards. We learn that the villains intend to fill Tokyo with hatred in order to prevent something.

For those of you who care, the Sailor Moon R movie can be viewed in this point.

In the third story ark, more super villains arrive, in order to destroy Tokyo with negative energy. The story evolves as we learn of the characters’ future destinies. The main backdrop scenario is revealed and we are introduced to Sailor Pluto, the keeper of time. Secret identities are revealed and several mysteries are solved. This story ark is the second most plot-driven and character developing of the whole series.

In the fourth story ark, the prince of the villains begins his final step to change the course of history. The Sailor Warriors assault his base and a bloody battle ensues. Although not as bloody as it was in the first series. The major players reveal their true feelings and purposes and there is even a betrayal by the prince’s advisor. The ending is still clichéd. Not as great as in the first series but worthwhile.

Season 3

Spoiler:

In the first story ark, we see Sailor Mars having future visions of the Earth’s destruction. Soon afterwards, a super villain woman steals people’s pure harts, in order to find the parts of a powerful artifact. Also, a pair of new Sailor Warriors, Neptune and Uranus, arrives and looks for the parts, without accepting alliance with the rest of the team. This ark was an intro for showing the burden of cruel things to come. This ark also introduces two new heroines, who turn out to be a lesbian couple!!!

In the second story ark, Chibiusa is back! Sent back to learn how to make friends and mature, she aids the rest of the team with the small powers she has acquired. Later, Sailor Pluto also appears and helps in the gathering of the artifacts. We learn that the villains are a group of evil witches that intend to absorb the world into their own evil dimension. In this ark, we see how the things you seek are sometimes found inside your own heart, which must be kept open in order to be found. A great metaphor, indeed.

In the third story ark, the evil witches are gathering pure hearts, in order to allow their mistress’ awakening. Chibiusa becomes friend of a frail girl that turns out to be the vessel of the villains’ mistress! The Sailor Warriors of both the Inner and Outer Solar System team up as they try to find the chosen messiah that can save the world. Plus, they try to stop the mistress from awakening … by having to kill the little girl! In this ark, we see how cruel some sacrifices can be, as some have to be killed in order for some others to stay alive.

In the fourth story ark, the leader of the villains awakens and begins to destroy the world. The Sailor Warriors assault her base and a painful battle ensues. And when I say painful, I mean painful to the point of screaming like little girls! The major players reveal their true feelings and purposes and there is even a betrayal by a good friend. The ending is better than in the previous series as the evil here cannot be defeated with raw power. The conclusion was excellent, although really sad, as we see how sometimes you don’t have to simply sacrifice others but also your own self. It made me cry!

Season 4

Spoiler:

In the first story ark, we see the Pegasus of Dreams seeking help from Chibiusa, while being hunted by three super villains. The Sailor Warriors have to protect the people by bad guys who steal their Dream Mirrors, take away their hopes and hunt the Prince of Dreamland. An interesting aspect here is the fact that the bad guys’ victims suffer a kind of “mind rape” while their dreams are being probed. Kinky!

In the second story ark, five evil girls continue to spread hopelessness while Chibiusa falls in love for the first time. And with the Pegasus nonetheless! She learns of what the bad guys did to his kingdom and what they intend to do.

In the third story ark, the evil queen begins her plan to wipe out dreams and hopes. We learn of her past as the Sailor Warriors storm her base. The conclusion… was not really a conclusion. It felt incomplete.

The humor and the behaviors of the characters in the fourth season are a lot more about childish romances. They practically drop the age of the target audience by 4 years. Bummer!

The story was a lot shorter (three story arks, instead of four), simpler and un-imaginary in comparison with the previous three seasons. It resembled a silly fairy tale, as there were childish concepts present, such as Dreamland and a Pegasus. The Sailor Warriors of the Outer Solar System were absent and there were no major new characters to be introduced (the Pegasus, the kitten and the evil girls don’t appear in the next season). What a shame!

Season 5

Spoiler:

In the first story ark, we essentially have the true conclusion of the fourth season. A year after the last fight, a mysterious woman frees the main villain of season four and allows her to continue her plans. Hopelessness is again the main motif as the heroines are facing mental breakdowns, involving their hopes about the future. Also, we have the return of the Outer Solar System Sailor Warriors (more yuri!), who gain new powers from a mysterious source and (finally!) fight the evil queen as well. The ending is clichéd but still better than that pathetic conclusion of the previous season. Also, we are introduced to the new villain and a good excuse for the return of the Outer Solar System Sailor Warriors and the appearance of their new powers.

In the second story ark, Mamoru promises to marry Bunny after he returns from a business trip. But he disappears as an evil Sailor Warrior from a far away planet turns people into Sailor demons and steals their Star Seeds in order to wipe out the defenders of Earth. We are also introduced to three more Sailor Warriors from afar, who are trying to find their princess.

In the third story ark, more evil Sailor Warriors keep stealing Star Seeds and seek out the true identities of the good Sailor Warriors. Also, a mysterious girl appears that holds tremendous powers and yet doesn’t even speak. Plus, the true identities of the Sailor Stars are revealed... And they are in fact the members of a male band! (remember that all Sailor Warriors are supposed to be female)

In the fourth story ark, hell brakes loose, as everything seems to come together. The Ultimate Evil the Sailors have to face since season two is finally here. The princess the Sailor Stars were looking for is also found. Mamoru’s whereabouts are revealed. The mysterious girl’s powers are revealed. The main bad guy’s story is revealed. And the infamous death toll of the conclusion in season one is back, bigger than ever! And if you read the manga, there are far more plot twists and revelations. WOW!

The humor and the behaviors of the characters in the last season are a lot more about sex rather than romance. They practically raise the age of the target audience by 4 years. Yoohoo!

The story has a simple plot but becomes really complicated and awesome towards the end. You almost feel rewarded for watching all the previous seasons. Thumbs up!

Heck, I wish for most shounen to have had half the plot elements this mahou shojo had. Most in-between episodes damage the Story feeling, but the scenario is otherwise very good, despite the clichés.

CHARACTER SECTION: 7/10 (spoiler alert!) [Although there are no original characters, their quirks and decent coloring makes up for it.]

Season 1

Spoiler:

Usagi: The main heroine. The reincarnation of an important person from a mythical ancient kingdom on the moon. Although she is supposed to act serious and matured, she is nothing but a silly klutz. She steadily has to accept responsibilities and prevent the past from repeating again in the present. Very interesting, thanks to her innocent silliness.

Mamoru: The prince in shining armor, he is also the reincarnation of an important person from a mythical ancient kingdom of Earth. The jealousy of an evil queen caused a major tragedy that haunts him to even his present life. He is loved by most women in the story and even saves the main heroine all the time like a Deus Ex Machina. Very interesting, thanks to his continuous misfortune that fills his life with tragedies.

The Sailor Warriors: The reincarnations of the moon princess’s four bodyguards and defenders of love, justice and the like. Each one of them has a different personality and controls a different element, based on the planets of our inner solar system. Very interesting, thanks to their quirky personalities, being super heroines on one side and immature schoolgirls on the other.

The Dark Kingdom villains: Four generals and a queen. Named after minerals, they are also reincarnations of the ancient kingdom. Lured by the power of evil, they now plan to rule the world through darkness. All of them have interesting personalities, except for the first general who was just a carton box bad guy without any quirks to make him interesting. For those of you who care, the manga of this title has a lot more backdrop story for them.

The secondary characters were mostly relatives of the five main girls and their schoolmates. Some funny, some tragic, they all contributed something to the whole.

Season 2

Spoiler:

Usagi, Mamoru and The Sailor Warriors: All the main good guys faced the burden of their previous lives in the first series. In the second, they must face the burden of things to come and accept their roles as protectors of the Solar System. A very good concept for continuing to mature as characters.

Chibiusa: Daughter of a very important pair in the future, this little girl is a spoiled brat that undertakes a very hard task in order to help her parents and make amends for her grave mistake. A very interesting character, thanks to her frail demeanor and yet strong will.

The Black Planet Family villains: A group of nine super villains. Named after crystals, they are the descendants of cruel people who didn’t like a peaceful world without worries. Lured by the power of evil, they now plan to change history and rule the world through hatred. All of them have far more interesting personalities and act a lot more humane than those cynical ones in the first season. The first five in the second story ark were essentially the evil counterparts of the main heroines. The other three were megalomaniacs who were deceived to hate instead of asking for forgiveness, trapped in a false existence of selfishly yearning for things they have no right acquiring. As for the last villain, he is the mastermind behind everything, exploiting people’s lives for his own sick purposes. For those of you who care, the manga of this title has a lot more backdrop story for the last villain, as well as the future Tokyo.

Season 3

Spoiler:

Usagi, Mamoru, The Sailor Warriors and Chibiusa: All the main good guys faced the burden of their future lives in the second season. In the third, they must keep true to their promise by fighting in the present no matter how much it costs them. Indeed, all the heroines in this season experience great pain and suffering. A very good concept for continuing maturing as characters.

The Outer Sailor Warriors: Cruel on the outside, these far more experienced heroines tried to lessen the pain by stop caring or feeling bad for their actions. They are to learn that if you don’t really care about others, you can’t justify any sacrifice you do in their name. A very interesting lesson for them to learn and a very kinky relationship for us to watch (they are lesbians, lol).

The Death Busters: A group of nine super villains. They are warriors of evil from another dimension who invade our dimension. The Witches 5 were essentially the evil counterparts of the main heroines again. The other three were megalomaniacs who were raised to deceive, hate and eventually kill their victims. As for the last villain, she was all-powerful only because she possessed a special body. In whole, the bad guys are less interesting than the villains in previous seasons, as they were thinking in a one-sided way and had no questioning of their evil ways. They act even more realistically than those in the second season but don’t have backdrop stories. The human host scientist was interesting for his sacrifice, but then again, he was not really evil from the start.

Season 4

Spoiler:

Usagi, Mamoru, The Sailor Warriors and Chibiusa: All the main good guys faced the burden of their past, future and present in the previous seasons. So what do they face here? Their dreams! They have to keep their dreams true, no matter how unreachable they seem. What a bull! As if they didn’t do that in the previous seasons. The characters don’t mature here any further. An exception is Chibiusa, who experiences love for the first time.

The Outer Sailor Warriors: Not present! The world is in danger and they are not there to defend it. Boo!

The Dead Moon Circus villains: A group of nine super villains. They are warriors of evil from the world of nightmares and intend to take away the hope of the world and easily conquer it, as no one will have the will to defend it. Man, it sounds lame just by writing about them! They were the most superficially thought-of villains in the series. The first three were without any backdrop story and the next 5 were essentially the evil counterparts of the main heroines yet again. The last villain was a queen that lost her hopes for the future and wanted to maintain young by spreading misery to the world. There is thin story continuity with the events of the first season but it feels really stupid as a whole. She had potential to become an interesting character but in the end she just gave up and abandoned her goals. What a croc! So, the villains suck, but at least, they were acting even more realistically than those of the third season.

Season 5

Spoiler:

Usagi, Mamoru, The Sailor Warriors and Chibiusa: Other than wrapping things up, there wasn’t much change in the main characters. They all practiced what they learned so far as good as they could. Nothing bad in that.

The Sailor Stars and the mysterious girl: They originally seemed like a recycling of the ideas of Chibiusa from season two and the Outer Solar System Sailor Warriors from season three. But they eventually have different roles and I did like the whole cross-dressing theme.

The evil queen and the evil Sailor Warriors: The evil queen is as we left her in the previous season. She gets the cheery ending she deserved. The rest of the bad guys are a group of five evil Sailor Warriors who sold out their lives to darkness, after they lost the battle with the Chaos, the ultimate evil. The first four have no backdrop story and are as boring as those of season four. I was mostly interested in their cleavage. But the leader... she is EVIL INCARNATE! She is the epitome of cruelness and has a good reason in her backdrop story to excuse it. Man, how many trillions of people did she kill? And how many episodes were they trying to defeat her without even managing to scratch her? The last battle was as long as those found in Dragonball Z. And it wasn’t about raw power at all. It was excellent!

VALUE SECTION: 10/10 [I find no reason for not considering it amongst the best of what this genre has to offer.]

Sailor Moon is neither the first nor the best Mahou Shojo on the block. But it became famous enough, thanks to:
-its likable characters. Since all of them are stereotypes, every viewer can easily find someone he/she likes and thus root for.
-its really long duration. This is the first of five tv seasons and several movies, easily becoming the longest Mahou Shojo ever made. More than enough time to bind with the characters.
-its evolving story. Although most episodes are stand-alones, there is a story that changes every 10 or so episodes, giving an air of freshness.
-its romance. It is quite stereotypical most of the time but the visual effects and the metaphysical plot make it more interesting than that of a typical slice-of-life romantic scenario.
-its several name allusions. Every Sailor Warrior has the basic element she controls in her surname, villains are always named after a specific category (minerals in the first season, crystals in the second, animals in the fourth, metals in the fifth), and special effects are tied to their user’s personality.

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 7/10 [The episodes can be divided into the stand-alones and the story-centered ones.]

The story-centered ones were great. Very predictable most of the time but the dramatic backdrop made me forget that and I was simply absorbed in them.

The stand-alones were repetitive but also good most of the time. Although I prefer on-going stories, the comedy and/or romance in them were more than enough to make them interesting to keep watching. Not many series are capable of accomplishing this.

As a build up, the interest was peaking in the first three seasons as it was slowly becoming darker, and a bit more violent serious, dropped a lot in the fourth for looking like a silly fairy tale, and rose a lot again in the fifth for becoming far kinkier.

VERDICT: 7.5 / 10
Very naïve and repetitive but its heart is pure and intact.